WILLIAM D OCONNELL

William D. “Bill” O’Connell, 77, died at his home in Holden on September 28, 2024. He leaves behind his devoted wife, Michelle (Hawes) O’Connell, of Holden, MA; two daughters, Tracy O’Connell Novick, of Worcester, MA, and Kelly O’Connell Keller, of Charlotte, NC; two sons-in-law, Colin Novick and David Keller; eight grandchildren, Cameron Keller, Aisling Novick, Benjamin Keller, Mara Novick, Andrew Keller, Rhiannon Novick, Jonathan Keller, and Madeleine Keller; Michelle’s son Jonathan Hawes and his wife Katie of Douglas, MA; a niece, Kathleen O’Connell, of Philmont, NY, and two nephews, Thomas O’Connell of Olivebridge, NY, and Kevin O’Connell of Copake, NY and their families. He was the husband to Annie (Dawson) O’Connell, formerly of Holden, MA, the youngest son of William E. and Mary (Reed) O’Connell of Hillsdale, NY, and the younger brother of Michael O’Connell, also of Hillsdale, NY, all of whom predeceased him.

Bill grew up in Hillsdale, NY, looking up to his brother, Michael, who was ten years his senior. By the time he reached high school, he played three sports and was a proud member of the
unofficial organization known as the “BMF,” or “Big Mouth Four.” He and his friends were never
short on stories to tell. After graduating from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, Bill
married Annie and served four years in the Air Force. They moved to Massachusetts due to an
Air Force transfer. Their two daughters were raised in Sterling, MA. Bill worked for a time in Public Accounting at Coopers & Lybrand. When he desired to be with his young family more, he went to work for ITT in Clinton, MA. For many years, he served in various roles in finance for startup companies as the tech boom began. He also enjoyed his time on the Board of Directors for VSP Insurance. This position granted him and Annie a circle
of treasured friends with whom they traveled for years.

A devoted Christian, Bill was frequently found helping with the finances of the churches he
attended including serving as treasurer. This eventually culminated in his founding of Wisdom
Over Wealth, a CPA firm whose organization was devoted to helping small churches manage
their money well. He assembled a team of employees from around the country: a team who
considered themselves not just coworkers, but also friends, sisters, and daughters to him. He
was a member of Holden Chapel, Holden, MA, and Heritage Bible Chapel, Princeton, MA.
The last season of his life was made sweeter by his marriage to Michelle Hawes O’Connell, of
Attleboro, MA. They enjoyed traveling together and spending time with friends and family.
The family would like to thank the Visiting Nurses Association for their loving care of Bill and
their support of the family during this time.

Calling hours will be held Wednesday, October 2, 2024 from 5 to 8 pm at Miles Funeral,1158 Main St, Holden. Funeral services will be Thursday, October 3rd at 11 am at Heritage Bible Chapel, 182 Brooks Station Rd, Princeton; the service may also be joined via Heritage Bible Chapel’s Facebook page. Interment will follow at Worcester County Memorial Park, 217 Richards Ave., Paxton. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to NEADS of Princeton, MA, the organization that trained Bill and Annie’s beloved service dog, June (neads.org); or Endurance with Dave and Jan Dravecky (endurance.org).